When it comes to bringing books to visual media, producers usually like to choose stories that are clear-cut, with narratives that take readers from one easily explainable plot point to the next. Which is why you don’t see a lot of Kurt Vonnegut adaptations out there. Hoping to change that is Stuart Ford and Mark Stern, whose IM Global Television is putting together a small screen version of Vonnegut’s classic novel Cat’s Cradle, along with a handful of other genre-crossing projects.
With a story that doesn’t exactly lend itself well to TV, Cat’s Cradle is a satirical sci-fi-tinged tale about a man trying to chronicle the history of the atomic bomb, which puts him in contact with the children of fictional inventor Felix Hoenikker. They have in their possession a creation of Felix’s that may be even more important: a substance called ice-nine that turns liquid water to a solid crystal. The story also travels to the Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, where all manner of weird shit happens.
According to TheWrap, IM Global is looking for a “high-level writer/showrunner” to put this project together, although it’s rather impossible to gauge who might take the gig. Executive producer duties will fall to Brad Yonover and Sandi Love of Elkins Entertainment.
It’s also hard to pinpoint which networks will be interested in bringing Cat’s Cradle to viewers. WGN America had the A-bomb-related drama Manhattan, so it probably won’t end up there. It seems like it would be a better fit for cable, like A&E or AMC, but then it’s not so vulgar or adult that it couldn’t end up on a broadcast network as a limited series. And if it’s successful, maybe we can get a Slaughterhouse 5 series on the air at some point.
Now let’s run through everything else that IM Global is also working on.
Darkover. Based on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s book series, this sci-fi fantasy project will tell its interplanetary tale with Ilene Kahn Power and Elizabeth Stanley executive producing. This one could last forever if it’s a hit.
1906. This one is a six-hour miniseries that centers on the San Francisco earthquake and fire in the titular year, with the societal highs and lows of the day serving as the backdrop. It’ll be written by The Sting scribe David S. Ward.
Horrorshow. A throwback to classic horrors of the 1970s and 1980s, this series about a psychopath let loose in a small town will play its story out similar to 24, in that each episode will take place in real-time. It’ll be written by Watch Over Me writer Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy.
Den of Thieves. Carla Gugino is already set to star in this noir-ish crime drama from the actress’ boyfriend and frequent collaborator Sebastian Gutierrez, who wrote such films as Gothika and Snakes on a Plane.
Anchorage. Based on the true story of Sgt. Kathy Lacey, this crime procedural will center on her experiences as the head of Vice in the titular Alaskan city, one of the most dangerous places in the U.S.
Glint. Written by Ari Eisner, this character-driven procedural will focus on a team of forensic scientists who have at their disposal technology that allows them to access the last thoughts that a murder victim has before dying, and they use it to solve the cases.
